News In Brief

ByJudy Nichols, Joshua S. Burek, and Noel PaulAugust 23, 2000

KITTY HAS FEELINGS TOO

When the Swiss parliament refused to discuss amendments to the legal status of animals, four activist groups took action. They amassed some 125,000 signatures - enough to force a referendum on the issue - calling for a new clause in the Constitution: "Animals are not things but living beings capable of feelings." The signatures were collected in five months - less than a third of the time it took for an initiative calling for Swiss membership in the UN.

If you're tired of no morning light in the kitchen, or maybe too much sun in your sitting room, engineer Don Dunick could have a solution. The New Zealander, reports the Dominion newspaper, has built a house that can rotate to suit the weather. Dunick spent seven years designing the house, which is based on a computer-controlled revolving pedestal, and a further eight years constructing it.

NBC could be known as "Not Broadcasting Cheaply." It has bought premium broadcast rights for the Olympic Summer Games from 1988 through 2008 - totaling some $3.55 billion. The year, location, network, and cost (in millions) for each of the summer Olympics since 1960: